Do Space Marines Die of Old Age?

[DrLove42]

Just a random thought that crossed my mind.

I know marines live far beyond normal human years (with 200 years being "young") and some
marines, particularly in dreadnoughtsare very long (isn't Bjorn a Heresy Veteran?).

But assuming they survive every battlefield encounter, and never get Dreadnought interred do
they eventually succumb to age?

And by the same logic, as humans age we get weaker. Is this the case for superhumans as well?

[Wolfshade]

I think in the HH book the Outcast dead, they make refence to the fact that Astartes are immortal, or at least in most practical ways so. It was Babu was saying as he was a prototype who surived the cull...

I think the oldest survivng non-Dreadnought is Dante who has to be at least 1,100 years as that is how long he has surved as Chapter Master, so to work his way from Scout, to full Marine, to Veteran to 1st Company Captain to Chapter Master, who knows how many years another 200+?

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

It's kinda inconsistent, the Horus Heresy note about potential immortality, but the Blood Angels are noted to be unusually long-lived, which would imply that Astartes are not. I hear there was a Heresy-era Salamander that survived until 40k? Then again, in the HH series, Iacton Quarze was hella old and looked like crap and was less physically capable.

It could be that Heresy-era Astartes were immortal, but the geneseed degraded over 10,000 years, so new Astartes are mortal.

[Wolfshade]

It does seem strange to refer to someone as unusally long lived when you don't die, unless it is referring to the fact that BAs are the best marines around and they live longer because they survive more encounters

[eldargal]

It could be that during the Great Crusade they were so full of themselves (especially Dark Angels, hurhur) they believed themselves to be immortal but the harsh reality of the 40k universe showed otherwise.

[Wolfshade]

If the space pansies (eldar) live for eons, the emporah could use his gentecfhnomancy to achieve the same!

[eldargal]

Try and fail, just like the webway experiment.

[Psychosplodge]

Just a random thought that crossed my mind.

I know marines live far beyond normal human years (with 200 years being "young") and some
marines, particularly in dreadnoughtsare very long (isn't Bjorn a Heresy Veteran?).

But assuming they survive every battlefield encounter, and never get Dreadnought interred do
they eventually succumb to age?

And by the same logic, as humans age we get weaker. Is this the case for superhumans as well?

Wasn't Bjorn the only one of Russ' personal guard he didn't take with him when he disappeared?
And the first wolf lord?

I certainly remember their being an ancient salamander with a horde of armour, kind of Indiana Jones and the last crusade style,
And I'm sure theres a Dark Angel that drifted in a sus-an trance for 10k since the heresy till he ended up in the eye.

[Wolfshade]

Try and fail, just like the webway experiment.

yeah well, erm, that's what he said!

[Grailkeeper]

No. In one of the (stultifyingly dull) Salamanders books, there is a salamander who has lived from the heresy to 40k- OUTSIDE of the warp or a dreadnaught. I think it's the first book Salamander. He has been seperated from the chapter and is on a planet which is attacked by Orks, Tyranids and Iron Warriors. He is effectively in susann suspended animation, but I could be wrong on that. HE can't really move or do much so the salamanders mercy kill him and harvest his gene seed.


I believe there are also some Chaos marines who haven't gone into the warp and are veterans of the Emperors palace.